Dancing With the Stars pro dancer Cheryl Burke reveals she’s been struggling with not drinking as she approaches her third year of sobriety. On the “Pretty Messed Up” podcast, the dancer along with former partner AJ McLean and their friend Rene Elizondo Jr. discussed their honest thoughts regarding Britney Spears conservatorship battle and her past experiences with addiction.
Elizondo started up the conversation, sharing that the 37-year-old dancer recently asked him if it would be okay to join their chat if she were ever feeling a desire to stray from the path to “hang with people” and “hear us tell our stories of what we’re dealing with on the day.” From there, Burke went on to admit that she’s been having a tough time recently sticking to her sobriety and that she’s felt herself becoming more anxious for a drink recently. “I’ve realized … how codependent I am on the two of you in a way because I look forward to these conversations of sobriety, of AJ talking about your ups and downs in life, if it’s been rough at times, and you Rene, being that voice of God,” Burke said. “For some reason, I was thinking, ‘What if this was all over one day?’ And I had so much anxiety.” On her trip to Hawaii with her husband Matthew Lawrence, Burke shared that the concierge sent over a bottle of champagne to her room for their anniversary. Most would say it would be a nice gesture, however, due to Burke’s circumstances she says “never have I ever been triggered in the last two and a half years until that day.”
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She had the same issue a few days later at another friend’s party, where she wound up leaving after seeing her friends taking some sips. “I have a lot of personal stuff going on right now at the moment, and so it’s been very … I feel like I’m walking on a really tight rope at the moment,” she told them of her sobriety. “Therapy’s not working right now.” Though, the episode ended on a good note. Burke further proved her commitment to staying sober by asking Elizondo to become her sponsor.
